Friday, July 4, 2008

The headline above is in the typeface "Hobo" which was one of my favorite fonts in the '70s. It looks downright antiquarian to me now!

It's been weeks since my last post. I've been incredibly busy. I'm currently working on an 8 page color story for MySpace Dark Horse Presents, a 20 page story for the Beanworld Holiday Special one shot comic book, and covers for both the Special and the hardcover collection for next winter.

Honestly, I haven't had this much fun in years and years, and now I really do feel like a full time cartoonist.

Since I checked in last, I went up to Berkeley for Rory Root's memorial. It was a very emotional evening for one and all attending but it really was precisely the sort of gathering that Rory deserved. a great coming together of his family, his friends, his customers, and the folks from the industry--all people who loved him and fiercely miss him.

I was talking with Fae Desmond from Comic-Con when it occur ed to me that I interacted with Rory during four distinct and separate careers. As an comic book artist--the creator of Beanworld; as a retailer--marketing director of Moondog's & the "Snapper Carr" of the DLG; as a comic book publisher--Executive Director of Image Comics during its headiest years; and as a toy manufacturer--President of McFarlane Toys. I talked business and compared notes with Rory in each and every one of those phases. I had come full circle when I last had a long conversation with him around WonderCon time.

Ricardo and Betsy Gomez at a backlit breakfast.

My hosts when I was up in the Bay area were Betsy and Ricardo Gomez. Betsy is a long time volunteer for the CBLDF and they cheerfully allowed Charles Brownstein and I to crash at their house for a few days. They are amazingly gracious and hospitable people. I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with them, admiring their garden, their incredible cooking, and their extensive collection of recordings of old time music.

Me doing breakdowns for the Holiday Special at Chez Gomez.

And last, but hardly least...

A fan drawing from the daughter of our Chicago pals, Paul and Mary Fricke.

Hi Larry!I am Paul Fricke`s daughter, Emily. I am eight years old and love your Beanwold comics. I have two favorite characters. They are Beanish and Proffy. I like Beanish because he had a break out and I love bean break outs! I like how Proffy has the big hat that has the four realities on it.I also like her because she is so different from the other beans. I have aquestion in the Christmas comic I would think that Gran`Ma`Pa looks like aChristmas tree so does the santa bean come and bring presents? I also have another question Mr. Spook looks like a Hoi-Polloi is he really a Hoi-Polloi? Iwould really like to have a Beanworld action figure. Any way here is a pictureof Dreamishness that you can enjoy!From,Emily

Thanks, Emily.

Dreamishness is one of my favorites too and she plays a very big role in the upcoming Holiday Special.

Back in the old days, when a letter arriving via snail mail to the "Hoo-Hoo-HAs & a Hoka-Hoka-HEY" letter column was the only barometer, nothing was more fun to receive than fan drawings by anyone of any age. Same with the old D-I-Y Beanworld contests. But the things drawn (and written) by the youngest Beanworld fan's were always the most fun to see tumble out of an envelope.

As the seasons turn and I get these looming deadlines under my belt and we head towards the 21st century launch of Beanworld--there will be new online places for these sorts of things.\

My favorite letter from the old days was the one where the guy found a Mr. Spook sign he'd made a while back. And the one about being the center of the universe. I've used THAT line a lot.

The coloring is weird for me... the Asylum stuff didn't quite click with me because it seemed too fancy, too many gradients for my taste. But I've adapted, the only holdout being Beanish always weirds me because his colors (light and dark green) didn't correspond to his black & white appearance (solid black, solid white... seems like the solid black would have been grey).